Posted on 01/20/2014 5:23:39 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
20 January. The 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, relieved the outpost of the 3d Battalion, 126th Infantry, at 1500. The CO, 128th Infantry, assumed responsibility for defense west of the Nankina River. We continued vigorous patrolling to the flanks and inland. Patrols in the Gabumi-Sindaman area met strong resistance. Strong west-flank outguards were established on the trails coming into the Saidor area. These patrolled vigorously and often clashed with enemy patrols. Artillery observers accompanied all standing outguards larger than a platoon.
A patrol from the 3d Battalion, 126th Infantry, returned after a three-day reconnaissance and reported that natives told them small parties of Japanese had been moving along the Sindaman-Gabumi track for the past week, pilfering, looting, raping and burning as they went.
Good weather at last let the engineers make sustained progress on the roads.
Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., The 32d Infantry Division in World War II
Dual Thrusts Win – 2
Cross Garigliano (Bracker) – 3
Carolines Hit for First Time in Blow at Japanese Air Base (Horne) – 4
Censors Urge End of Invasion Gossip – 5
War News Summarized – 5
Roosevelt Urges City Peace Work – 6
American Indians who are On the Warpath against the Japanese (photo) – 7
Post-War Policies-III (Baldwin) – 8-9
Nazis’ Doom Seen in Fighter Planes (Graham) – 9
High Award Won by Gen. J.L. Homer * – 9
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 10-11
The Red Cross On the Job in Italy (photo) – 11
* No relation.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/jan44/f20jan44.htm
Soviets capture Novgorod
Thursday, January 20, 1944 www.onwar.com
On the Eastern Front... The Soviet 59th Army (part of the Volkhov Front) completes the occupation of Novgorod.
In Italy... The US 2nd Corps (part of 5th Army) begins attacks across the Rapido River toward the Liri valley and Monte Cassino. German forces successfully hold. To the south, the British 10th Corps (also part of 5th Army) captures Tufo in its continuing attacks.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/20.htm
January 20th, 1944 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
The Canadian-built, British-registered cargo ship Fort Louisbourg (7,130 GRT) was damaged by bombs while alongside the Surrey Commercial Docks, at London. Two of her crewmembers were lost in this incident. Fort Louisbourg was a North Sands-class freighter built by Canadian Vickers Ltd., at Montreal, PQ She was completed in Apr 42. Fort Louisbourg was one of 90 North Sands-class freighters built in Canada for American order under the Hyde Park Declaration and subsequently provided to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease Agreement. The ship was managed by Wm. Thompson and Co. (The Ben Line), of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the British government. Twenty-two of these ships were sunk and another seven were damaged.
Frigate HMS Cayman and Nadder commissioned.
Escort carrier HMS Smiter commissioned.
Destroyer HMS Terpsichore commissioned.
ENGLISH CHANNEL: British coastal guns sink the German blockade-runner MUNSTERLAND.
GERMANY: U-321, U-773, U-1052 commissioned.
U.S.S.R.: Soviet troops advancing south-west from Pulkovo and south-east from Oranienbaum join up, encircling the Germans around Leningrad and sealing off the corridor to Finland.
Novgorod falls to the Soviet 59th Army.
SOUTH AFRICA: Frigate SAS Transvaal laid down.
INDIAN OCEAN:
At 2039, the unescorted SS Fort Buckingham was hit by two torpedoes from U-188 northwest of the Maldive Islands and sank within 10 minutes. The master, 30 crewmembers and seven gunners were lost. Six survivors were picked up by the British SS Moorby and landed at Fremantle on 29 January. 28 crewmembers and nine gunners were picked up on 5 February by the Norwegian SS Ora and later transferred to destroyer HMS Redoubt and landed at Bombay on 9 February. Eight survivors were rescued by the Norwegian tanker Kongsdal and landed at Melbourne on 22 February. Fort Buckingham was a North Sands-class freighter built by Davie Shipbuilding and Repair Co., Ltd., at Lauzon, PQ She was completed in Feb 43. Fort Buckingham was one of 90 North Sands-class freighters built in Canada for American order under the Hyde Park Declaration and subsequently provided to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease Agreement. Joseph Constantine and Sons of Middlesborough, York, managed the ship for the British government. Twenty-two of these ships were sunk and another eight were damaged.
U-188 was a long-range Type IXD/40 submarine built by AG Weser, at Bremen. She was commissioned on 05 Aug 42, OLt. Siegfried Lüdden, CO. U-188 conducted three patrols and compiled a record of nine ships sunk for a total of 50,915 tons and damaged one ship for a further 9,977 tons. U-188 was scuttled on 20 Aug 44 at Bordeaux, France. She was raised and broken up for scrap in 1947. Siefried Lüdden was born in 1916 at Neubrandenburg, Stargard. He joined the navy in 1936. After liaison duty with the Luftwaffe, in Apr 40, he was attached to the U-boat Headquarters while undergoing conversion training. Lüdden served briefly as a Watch Officer in the Type IID training boat U-141 and then on the staff of the 24th U-boat Flotilla before he was selected in Feb 41 as the ADC to the commander of the 1st U-boat Flotilla. Whether he was particularly suited for this duty or was following the movements of a senior officer is uncertain, but Lüdden also served subsequently as the ADC to the commander of the 3rd and the 5th U-boat Flotillas. From Sep 41 to May 42, he served as the First Watch Officer in the Type IXC boat U-129, commanded by the ‘ace’ KptLt. Nicolai Clausen, Knight’s Cross (24 ships for 74,807 tons). OLt. Lüdden was selected for command and underwent his U-boat Commander’s Course in May-Jun 42. He was appointed to commission U-188 on 05 Aug 42, at the age of 26. Lüdden conducted three patrols in U-188, sinking the Town-class destroyer HMS Beverley (ex-USS Branch) on his first patrol. His second patrol took him to the Far East, where he embarked 100 tons of strategic materials and transported them back to France. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 11 Feb 44 (the 111th presented in the U-boat Force). Lüdden completed his tour of duty with U-188 in Aug 40 and was assigned to the staff of the 24th U-boat Flotilla. He was assigned to U-boat Headquarters Staff in Nov 44. KptLt. Lüdden was promoted to FKpt. on 1 Jan 45 but was killed only 12 days later in a fire onboard the accommodations ship Daresalam in Kiel. Siefried Lüdden sank nine ships for a total of 50,915 tons and damaged one ship for a further 9,977 tons, ranking him as the 88th highest-scoring U-boat ‘ace’ of the war.
GILBERT ISLANDS: 98th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) with B-24’s moved from Nukufetau to Tarawa and then to Kwajalein on 3 Apr 44.
CANADA: Tug HMCS Marysville assigned to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
U.S.A.:
Frigate USS Pueblo launched.
Destroyer escort USS Samuel B Roberts launched.
Minesweeper USS Implicit commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-263 sinks near La Rochelle in position 46. 06N 01. 36W whilst carrying out deep dive tests. All 51 members of the crew are lost.
During an attack on two merchants on 20 Nov, 1942 convoy escorts had dropped some 119 depth charges on the boat causing so much damage that Nölke had to abort his mission and return to France. During the return on the 24th a British Hudson aircraft (Sqdn 233/Q) straddled the boat with 4 depth charges causing extensive damages to the already weak boat. She was told to head for El Ferrol, Spain but managed to limp back to La Rochelle, with assistance from the returning U-511 and covered by Ju-88 aircraft, reaching the base on the 29th. She then spent 13 months in repair and rebuilding.
Her loss occurred when she was performing tests after the repairs had been completed, but not (it would now seem) at great depth , since U-263 has been located lying at 27m depth near La Rochelle, France and is a dive site. (Alex Gordon)
Some very interesting items. Censors say to stop gossiping about the Normandy invasion plans. Japan massively raises its tax on sake.
Is this the first time we have seen info in the paper regarding invasion of Europe?
“Mildest Russian winter in years”...AGW fodder.
There has been speculation on the timing and location of the invasion going back at least to December ‘43. That was the significance of Eisenhower being named Supreme Commander.
I double checked and was greatly relieved to see they didn't actually mention Normandy in the warning. That would be against the rules. The details of Overlord are only known by a small circle at this point.
I was paraphrasing.
The deception plan, of which Patton was a part, is now in full swing and will successfully convince the Germans the invasion will be at Pas de Calais. It was so successful that Hitler stubbornly refused to release units in that area until our lodgement on the Continent was firm.
Thanks for the info. I wasn’t thinking so far in advance.
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